Talks
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Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Faculty
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Graduate Student
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Graduate Student
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Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
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Biomedical ENGR/Technology/Computation
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Background: Human gait is influenced by factors such as walking speed and carrying heavy objects asymmetrically. Understanding these effects enhances rehabilitation research for individuals recovering from leg injuries. Clinical angles of the knee, derived from experimental data, provide insights into movement patterns, revealing abnormalities or compensations. Calculating these angles requires a joint coordinate system (JCS) for the knee joint.
Methods: This study employed the VICON motion analysis system with ten infrared cameras arranged circularly for comprehensive gait analysis. Reflective markers placed on anatomical landmarks facilitated motion capture, recorded at 100 Hz. Data processing included filtering, establishing a JCS, calculating clinical angles, and segmenting the gait cycle. MATLAB analysis averaged clinical angles across cycles, applying polynomial fitting to compare patterns under various conditions. Subjects performed dynamic warm-ups targeting key muscle groups before walking trials. Straight-line walking exercises varied in speed and included carrying a kettlebell in the left hand to assess gait adaptability.
Results: Four conditions were analyzed: preferred walking speed, slow walking speed, fast walking speed, and slow walking with a 25 lb. weight in the left hand. Variations in stride length influenced the number of recorded steps. 1) Preferred speed walking exhibited an initial peak of flexion angle (5-10° above baseline) at 10% of the gait cycle, a return to 20%, a second peak at 70%, and a final extension at 95%. Slow walking mirrored this pattern with lower peaks. Introducing a kettlebell resulted in similar flexion patterns, though one participant showed increased flexion due to balance challenges. Fast walking revealed pronounced initial flexion at 10%, likely for shock absorption, with comparable maximum values to preferred speed. 2) Abduction remained constant until 50% of the cycle, followed by adduction. Adduction peaks varied among participants, ranging from minimal changes to 10°. Internal rotation consistently increased from heel strike to 70% of the cycle, with peak values differing by subject, highlighting individual variability.
Conclusions: This study investigated the effects of walking speed and asymmetric weight carrying on gait dynamics, offering insights for rehabilitation, athletic training, and assistive technology design. 1) Walking Speed Effects: Faster speeds resulted in shorter cycle times and longer steps, while slower speeds had the opposite effect. These findings align with previous research and inform rehabilitation protocols incorporating speed variations. 2) Asymmetric Weight Effects: Carrying a 25 lb. weight reduced gait consistency and cycle time, corroborating findings that heavier loads shorten cycle duration. This underscores the need for balance training and strength conditioning in rehabilitation. 3) Pattern Complexity and Consistency: Polynomial analysis revealed the steps complexity by analyzing the polynomial degree and consistency by evaluating the coefficient of determination. These values showed similar degrees of complexity across subjects for all experiments, however, the consistency of the pattern of each step varied significantly between subjects. 4) Natural Gait Variability: Variability in abduction and rotation angles underscores the importance of individualized analysis for tailored interventions. 5) By monitoring changes in gait patterns over time, it becomes possible to detect early signs of injury, unconscious compensatory movements due to aging, or performance adaptations throughout the season in athletes.
Recommended Citation
Caruntu, Dumitru I.; Trejo, Alfirio; Rodriguez, Eric; and Alvarez Barriga, Camila T., "Effect of Walking Speed and Asymmetric Loading on Human Gait" (2025). Research Symposium. 10.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/talks/10
Effect of Walking Speed and Asymmetric Loading on Human Gait
Background: Human gait is influenced by factors such as walking speed and carrying heavy objects asymmetrically. Understanding these effects enhances rehabilitation research for individuals recovering from leg injuries. Clinical angles of the knee, derived from experimental data, provide insights into movement patterns, revealing abnormalities or compensations. Calculating these angles requires a joint coordinate system (JCS) for the knee joint.
Methods: This study employed the VICON motion analysis system with ten infrared cameras arranged circularly for comprehensive gait analysis. Reflective markers placed on anatomical landmarks facilitated motion capture, recorded at 100 Hz. Data processing included filtering, establishing a JCS, calculating clinical angles, and segmenting the gait cycle. MATLAB analysis averaged clinical angles across cycles, applying polynomial fitting to compare patterns under various conditions. Subjects performed dynamic warm-ups targeting key muscle groups before walking trials. Straight-line walking exercises varied in speed and included carrying a kettlebell in the left hand to assess gait adaptability.
Results: Four conditions were analyzed: preferred walking speed, slow walking speed, fast walking speed, and slow walking with a 25 lb. weight in the left hand. Variations in stride length influenced the number of recorded steps. 1) Preferred speed walking exhibited an initial peak of flexion angle (5-10° above baseline) at 10% of the gait cycle, a return to 20%, a second peak at 70%, and a final extension at 95%. Slow walking mirrored this pattern with lower peaks. Introducing a kettlebell resulted in similar flexion patterns, though one participant showed increased flexion due to balance challenges. Fast walking revealed pronounced initial flexion at 10%, likely for shock absorption, with comparable maximum values to preferred speed. 2) Abduction remained constant until 50% of the cycle, followed by adduction. Adduction peaks varied among participants, ranging from minimal changes to 10°. Internal rotation consistently increased from heel strike to 70% of the cycle, with peak values differing by subject, highlighting individual variability.
Conclusions: This study investigated the effects of walking speed and asymmetric weight carrying on gait dynamics, offering insights for rehabilitation, athletic training, and assistive technology design. 1) Walking Speed Effects: Faster speeds resulted in shorter cycle times and longer steps, while slower speeds had the opposite effect. These findings align with previous research and inform rehabilitation protocols incorporating speed variations. 2) Asymmetric Weight Effects: Carrying a 25 lb. weight reduced gait consistency and cycle time, corroborating findings that heavier loads shorten cycle duration. This underscores the need for balance training and strength conditioning in rehabilitation. 3) Pattern Complexity and Consistency: Polynomial analysis revealed the steps complexity by analyzing the polynomial degree and consistency by evaluating the coefficient of determination. These values showed similar degrees of complexity across subjects for all experiments, however, the consistency of the pattern of each step varied significantly between subjects. 4) Natural Gait Variability: Variability in abduction and rotation angles underscores the importance of individualized analysis for tailored interventions. 5) By monitoring changes in gait patterns over time, it becomes possible to detect early signs of injury, unconscious compensatory movements due to aging, or performance adaptations throughout the season in athletes.
